Investors Search For Gems At PlugandPlay Expo

As investors and analysts survey the perilous economy and contracting IPO market, they frequently invoke the blockbuster successes – for instance, Cisco Systems Inc. – that were launched during dark economic times. In the spirit of finding rare gems that can outlive a recession, venture capitalists from more than 50 well-known firms converged on the PlugandPlay Tech Center in Silicon Valley on Thursday, where they heard two-minute pitches from more than 40 bootstrapped and angel-funded companies.